Criminal justice reporter

A Clarke County grand jury recently indicted an Athens man for an April family violence incident in which he allegedly assaulted his former fiancée and set fire to a car belonging to the woman’s new boyfriend.

Michael Shane Williams, 52, was charged with first-degree arson, family violence battery, two counts of third-degree cruelty to children, theft by taking and obstruction of a 911 call, according to the indictment filed last week in Clarke County Superior Court.

Williams was previously convicted of battery for assaulting the victim when they lived in Madison County, according to the indictment.

Athens-Clarke County police said the more recent incident occurred April 24, when Williams went to the home of his former fiancée’s boyfriend on East Meadow Drive.

Officers had been to the home earlier that same day because of a dispute involving Williams, but no arrests were made.

Officers responded a second time, at about 11 p.m., because a neighbor called 911 to report that a man was outside beating a woman.

The victim was so hysterical that she could hardly string together a sentence and was hyperventilating, according to police. Officers could see she had been involved in a violent struggle, as the woman was covered with dirt and bleeding from a cut on her arm, police said.

She told officers that she had been beaten by Williams, who confronted her over having a new boyfriend, police said. The woman also said Williams had set the boyfriend’s car on fire.

Officers looked in the vehicle and saw that the car seat cover was heavily melted, police said.

Two young children who live in the boyfriend’s home and who witnessed the beating said they doused the fire with a jug of water, according to police.

Williams had fled the scene by the time officers arrived.

The victim said that when arguing with Williams about her seeing another man, Williams grabbed her by the hair and dragged her from the residence where he knocked her to the ground and began kicking her in the head, according to police. While she was curled up to protect herself, police said, Williams took a cellphone from her so she could not call 911.

In addition to her other injuries, the victim complained of severe neck pain and was taken by ambulance to Athens Regional Medical Center, police said.

Shortly before 1 a.m. Friday, police said, officers responded to the East Meadow Drive residence again when the boyfriend called 911 to report that Williams had returned and was outside screaming and yelling threats.

Officer established a perimeter in the area, police said, and while searching the area officers found Williams hiding beneath a blanket in some woods nearby.

Williams, who police said was highly intoxicated, made incriminating statements while in custody and inside a patrol car. He admitted to taking the victim’s cellphone because “she was calling the law,” according to police, and when saying he kicked her in the head, Williams stated, “I ain’t gonna lie, she asked for this.”

Anyone who is in an abusive relationship can seek advice and services by calling Project Safe’s 24-hour hotline at (706) 543-3331, or by visiting http://www.project-safe.org.